Wet dark roads cause safety concerns for both drivers and pedestrians

A new ICBC survey reveals that nine in 10 drivers worry about hitting a pedestrian at night and in wet weather, and eight in 10 pedestrians don’t feel safe in these conditions.

In preparation for the darker skies and drizzly weather to come, today, ICBC, government and police are launching a pedestrian safety campaign across the province.

Alarmingly, a disproportionate number of pedestrian-related crashes and injuries happen in just four months of the year—43 per cent of all crashes that injure pedestrians happen between October and January as visibility and conditions get worse.

Pedestrian safety is a serious concern in B.C. Pedestrians are the most vulnerable road user to get injured when a crash occurs. These preventable crashes are also contributing to the rising number of injury claims in our province—the largest single cost pressure on B.C. insurance rates.

Dark and rainy conditions can seriously impact visibility. ICBC’s new radio and online advertising builds on this by reminding drivers: you see pedestrians when you really look for them. Keep your eyes on the road: take a break from your phone, be extra alert at intersections and be ready to yield the right-of-way to pedestrians.

The most important tip if you’re walking is to take extra care to help drivers see you: stay focused on the road and make eye contact. ICBC and community policing volunteers will be handing out reflectors and safety tips in high pedestrian traffic areas across the province to help pedestrians stay visible.

In addition to this month-long campaign, ICBC helps make roads safer for vulnerable road users through its road improvement program. Last year, ICBC invested in more than 160 pedestrian and cyclist-related projects in B.C. These projects included crosswalks, sidewalks, countdown timers and pedestrian-activated flashing crosswalks.

Every year in B.C., 59 pedestrians are killed and 2,500 are injured, with 76 per cent of these crashes occurring at intersections. On Vancouver Island, on average, 190 crashes at intersections involve a pedestrian every year.

As the majority of pedestrian crashes occur at intersections, the intersection safety camera program is one of the ways we are working to improve road safety for everyone sharing the road. A partnership between ICBC, government and police for almost 20 years, there are 140 cameras set up at the highest-risk intersections in 26 communities in B.C. to change driver behaviour and reduce the number of crashes at intersections. We are working with our partners to extend the activation to be 24/7.

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I have concerns during the day! People go way too fast on Grant Rd, especially when it is raining, and my only protection is a white line? It makes me so nervous to walk my dog and toddler down that road.

How about more street lights and flashing lights at pedestrian crosswalks. We pay enough taxes. People shouldn’t have to worry about carrying flashlights or wearing marker vests just to use the walk and road ways.

How badly do you want to live? If it meant the difference between being hit by a passing motorist or by me wearing something reflective or carrying a light, then I guess I will just wear something reflective and/or carry a light!!!

Well obviously!! Do what you need to do to stay safe but all I’m saying is pedestrians shouldn’t have to worry about that if there were enough lights. I’ve lived in small towns before and there was never this issue. Sooke needs street lights and better crosswalks. Period.

How about more street lights and flashing lights at pedestrian crosswalks. We pay enough taxes. People shouldn’t have to worry about carrying flashlights or wearing marker vests just to use the walk and road ways.

I did write the mayor about this, as I too walk down otter point with my children, and am wildly uncomfortable doing so. She agreed and said they are aware of the issue and hope to improve it, at some point…

SIDEWALKS. Please!!! It’s all about cars and bicycles these days. I pay my property taxes and it would be nice to see more safety for pedestrians. Gheesh! Health awareness reinforces walking, but not in a friggin ditch! OK. Rant over.

Everyone wants sidewalks, but one thing that I did notice the other night is that driving east through the downtown core on Sooke Highway as one approaches the big bus stop, usually with big bus parked there, it is really hard to see if a pedestrian is about to cross at the cross walk over to the TD side of the road until you are less than 15 feet away from the crosswalk…its a bit strange to me to have a cross so close to where buses are parked obscuring any bodies who may be moving towards and into the cross walk. Perhaps it is just me but I thought the other day that someone will be hit in this crosswalk for that reason in the next year or two and someone will die there in the next 5 to 10 years. Hope I am wrong.